South Bucks Midweek Cycling Newsletter - September 2022

Paul and Viviane are leading Trail Rides on some Wednesdays.  They are not on the Rides Schedule because they decide on the Monday if and where to go, so you need to be on Paul's email list.  Contact Paul at pthorne.greystones@gmail.com.

This looks really good. I am the panniers/B&B/restaurant meals type rather than off-road/bike-packing/camping type, but each to their own. It is good to get away and explore. Does anyone fancy a short UK tour in B&B/YHA?

Women are under-represented in Cycling UK's membership and on South Bucks Midweek rides.  We would like to know why that is and what we can do to make our rides more female friendly.  If you are female, do you agree with the points made in the article below?  My feeling is that there needs to be a critical mass of female riders for a ride to be appealing.  Should we try women only rides?  We need female input so please discuss it with your female friends and contact me to see what we can do.

Ali, Cilla Gosnell's daughter has passed on this news of Cilla's illness:

Cilla is very poorly at the moment and in Stoke Mandeville Hospital. She's had pneumonia but still has other issues that aren't resolved.   It's not possible to visit her at the moment.  We send our best wishes to Cilla and her family.

Peter Southworth suffered a broken wrist in a fall from his bike while touring in Germany.  He is safely home now but with a wrist brace for another 4 weeks. He hopes to be back on the bike sometime in October.  We wish Peter a good recovery.

Ray reports:  The Cycle Jumble at the Epileptic Centre on 3rd September was crowded with sellers with so much equipment and tools but mostly for 1970 to 1990 classic bikes. We managed to sell some equipment but I think much of it went to vendors who make a business out of such cycle jumbles. 

Ray managed to sell a Campagnolo Rally rear derrailleur of mine for £80!  It was an awful thing in my opinion, heavy and with a very heavy action, but undeniably rugged.  I imagine that not many were sold as it was aimed outside the normal Campagnolo clientele and there were better products available from the likes of Sun Tour, so a collector's item I guess.

This is just my view based on one make and model of tyre on one make of rim.  If I find something that works I tend to stick with it and not try all the alternatives.

I have now done 9400 miles since November 2020 on Schwalbe Pro One 700 x 28 tyres on Mason Hunt All Season Disc wheels.  I chose the tyres just because they were ones that Hunt would pre-fit.

I was attracted by the theoretical benefits of less rolling resistance due to not having friction between tyre and tube, less mass at the outside of the wheel, and a smoother ride at a lower pressure, but I was worried that I would be stuck by the side of the road with a problem I couldn't fix.  I was particularly worried that it could happen on tour in some remote place, so I wanted to get plenty of local experience first.  I did my first tour on tubeless in Slovenia where the tyres coped brilliantly with gravel roads and a cobbled hairpin descent, though most of the roads were excellent and my companion didn't get a puncture on tubes either.

Initially I used Doc Blue sealant but found that although it would usually seal with some loss of pressure, when the tyres were pumped to full pressure again, they tended to weep sealant which didn't inspire confidence. Having said that, I never had to do more at the roadside than add a bit a more air.  When I changed the tyres I changed to Effetto Mariposa Caffelatex sealant, which is a bit thicker, synthetic and works much more reliably.  I only realised that I had had a puncture after 1400 miles because I noticed some sealant on the bottom of the rear mudguard.

The recommended pressure for my 28mm tyres and weight is 70 psi front and 75 rear which gives a good comfortable ride, rolls well and takes the sting out of the Bucks road defects.  I think that grip is good too, but can't prove that.

To fit tubeless tyres, you need a big puff of air to make the tyre seat on the beads and keep the air in, which means using a pump with a tank.  After borrowing one I bought an Airshot to use with my track pump which worked well with the valve core removed.  Once the tyre has seated you can remove the tank, which lets the tyre down but it remains seated.  Add sealant using a syringe via the valve, then inflate the tyre.  Tubeless tyres may loose pressure slightly more than tubed ones but I only pump them about once a week.

Pros

Smooth ride, good grip, low rolling resistance, no possibility of pinch punctures, no tube changing by the side of the road; especially appreciated in winter conditions.

Cons

A bit more of a faff and equipment to fit tubeless, but that happens infrequently and in the garage or bike shop.  Less suitable for tyres narrower than 28 mm because higher pressures are required placing bigger demands on the sealant.

I do still carry a tube, but mainly to lend to others.  I would limp home on a soft tyre rather than mess about changing a tube by the roadside with sealant everywhere.  If you are someone who would struggle to get a wheel out and change a tube by yourself, then tubeless would really be worthwhile.  I could have added expensive to the Cons, but everything is expensive at the moment until supplies recover and there is no reason why tubeless should be dearer long term.